Biodiversity Exploration of Terrestrial Hemiptera in Simlipal Tiger Reserve Reveals Multiple New Area Records

This study is the first effort to document the terrestrial Hemipteran diversity of Simlipal Tiger Reserve of Odisha, which is also famous as a biodiversity Hotspot area. The assessment of terrestrial hemipteran fauna of the Reserve area was performed across six sampling sites comprising different habitat types within the reserve area, and 141 examples of terrestrial hemiptera were collected by hand picking methods, sweep netting and light trap methods. During the study, 55 species from 50 genera belonging to 14 families have been identified. The study clearly shows the dominance of the Pentatomidae family, followed by Rhyparochromidae, Lygaeidae and Reduviidae, while some of the families are represented by a single species, which indicates variation of habitat occupancy. The diversity analysis of the six selected sites revealed noticeable variation in species composition. Station 6 (S6), that is Ramatirtha, shows the highest number of species richness and Shannon index, while station 3 (S3) and station 4 (S4), that is Gurguria and Bundayiposi respectively, show the lowest numbers. The data shows variation in species composition, as well as species evenness and also highlights the species dominance and community structure of every station. This study shows that Simlipal is a reservoir of various hemipteran fauna that includes not only the sap feeders but also some agriculturally significant pests and predators, which play an important role in balancing the ecosystem of the forest. As this is the first effort to document the hemipteran diversity of the protected area, it will provide a baseline for further taxonomic, ecology-oriented research works in the near future. This study also shows that a larger number of surveys and the collection of specimens from different habitats and in different seasons are needed to completely understand the hemipteran diversity of this significantly important biodiversity hotspot area.